Christmas on Platform 12
by jaybunzy0
Summary: Two strangers both miss their respective trains and are stranded at the station on Christmas. The only option is to wait until morning and Damon and Elena decide to make the best of it. Written for the A2A Holiday Exchange. Prompt by sauriemilia.


**Title: Christmas on Platform 12**

 **Summary:** Two strangers both miss their respective trains and are stranded at the station on Christmas. The only option is to wait until morning and Damon and Elena decide to make the best of it. Written for the A2A Holiday Exchange. Prompt by sauriemilia.

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: Merry Christmas Eve Eve! Hope you all enjoy this! I certainly missed writing these two…**

* * *

"Um, excuse me!"

I keep my gloved hand firmly on the door handle as the asshole beside me tries to wedge his way into the very taxi that I just hailed. The snow is falling hard in New York City and with it being Christmas Eve and all, nabbing this cab was a miracle. There's no way I'm about to let this guy steal it from me when I swore up and down to my parents that, I would make it back to Mystic Falls in time for Christmas Day.

The stranger cocks his brow at me and has the audacity to look offended—like I'm the one trying to steal his ride. He gestures for me to move out of the way and my mouth drops open in shock. _Is he serious?_

"This is _my_ cab," I stress.

"Pretty sure you're not the owner of the Yellow Cab Company." He smirks.

My eyes narrow as I study this entitled asshat. He's a whole head taller than I am and he towers over me in his North Face and baseball cap. The details of his face are hidden in the shadows from both the overcast sky and the angle he's keeping his face so my eyes drift down his long, lean torso to the jeans he's wearing and the sturdy boots he's in that are somehow still spotless despite the slush we're standing in. I look down at my own Bean Boot covered feet that are stained with dirt and snow and scrapes. It just makes me hate this man more.

I roll my eyes. "Do you mind? I have a train to catch."

"You're headed to the train station?" His smirk slides effortlessly into a lopsided smile and I want to it right off his face. "Just our luck. So am I."

"Are you suggesting that—?"

"—that we share a cab," he finishes and somehow manages to push my hand aside and open the door. His hand gestures for me to hop in first—the first gentlemanlike thing he's done—and if it wasn't so cold outside I'd fight with him about this longer. Because the last thing I want to do is be stuck in a cab with him. But I have to get home and this is looking like my only option. The quickest one anyway. Even the cab driver seems grateful.

"Fine," I pout, hopping in the cab and sliding as close to the opposing side as I can.

As he eases himself inside I lean toward the glass divider and tell the cabbie to bring us to Penn Station. I make sure my wallet and cell phone are secure in my coat and that my Vera Bradley duffle is resting comfortably on my lap as my would-be companion rests his own duffle on his knees before easing back to slide his wallet from his back pocket.

The cab pulls off from the curb with a jolt—grateful to begin his fare—and moves into the busy streets of the city. I attempt to forget the awkwardness that exists inside this steel cage and lose myself in the bright lights and Christmas decorations as we head towards the station. I vaguely hear the stranger beside me discussing with the cabbie the best way to avoid the holiday traffic because I'm that lost in its beauty.

Then I feel a touch on my arm and I'm pulled back to this awkward situation by the very man behind it. I look up and notice his blue eyes and sharp jaw as he says, "I never introduced myself when I was stealing your cab."

"He admits it," I tease. I've never seen bluer eyes in my life. I'm grateful they were somewhat hidden from me earlier or one look at them and I would have very well passed on the cab.

"Well, I was in a rush and this was the first available cab I spotted for blocks."

"And yet…" I sing, leaving the end of the sentence hanging in the air. Even if he somewhat admitted to attempting to steal my cab, I still want to hear him say it again.

He shakes his head, smiling. I should have whiplash because of the quick change of tone between us. My eyes don't leave his face as he takes his time to respond. "And yet…it was yours. I'm sorry."

"It worked out," I say, brushing off his apology—even though it means a lot that he's owning up to his mistake.

He holds out his hand and says, "Let's start over, okay?" He lifts his brow and smiles a crooked smile. "I'm Damon."

I reach out, sliding my glove covered hand into his palm. I can feel his warmth through the leather. "I'm Elena."

* * *

"I'm sorry. The last train left a few minutes ago. Unfortunately due to the storm we won't be having any more departures tonight."

My head whips towards where Damon is catching up beside me, breathless and just hearing the tail end of my conversation with the public transit worker. He's just as shocked and probably just as disappointed as I am but unfortunately for him he's about get an earful from me.

"This is all your fault!" I scream at him, adjusting my duffle strap on my shoulder. I'm so angry; so incredibly angry that I just can't see straight. I missed the train by minutes! Minutes I would've made had I not met this man. Now I'm stuck at Penn Station on Christmas Eve praying for a storm to stop and it is all his fault. "You just had to argue with the cabbie about that shortcut that had us stuck in traffic!"

"I was just trying to get us here faster."

We step out of the way so a few other people can approach the desk. "Yeah, well thanks to you I won't make it home in time for Christmas."

He stares over my head, looking around and I let my eyes venture past him too. This place is packed with people stranded for Christmas. We're hardly the only ones. This storm has affected more than just me and Damon and I know it. It still doesn't change the fact that neither of us would've been in this situation had he just let the cab driver do his job.

"I'm stranded here, too, okay? You're not the only person in the city with plans."

My arms cross over my body. "Just do me a favor and stay away from me. The last thing I need is for you to make this night worse."

I stalk away from him in search of a place to rest while I pray for the storm to pass. Just as I spy a secluded spot on the floor, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I reach for it and find my mom's face smiling up at me. With a sigh, I swipe to answer and bring it to my ear.

"Hi, Mom."

" _Sweetie! Are you on the train?_ "

Easing myself on to the floor and resting my back against the tiled wall and hugging my duffle to my chest, I say, "I'm not sure I'm going to make it."

Her silence is breaking me. I know how much me being home for Christmas means to her; how our whole family being there Christmas morning to open presents and watch the yule log on TV—even though we have a fire burning in our own fire place below—and just being together despite the way our lives have taken us in different directions. Like my brother to Denver and me to this beautiful city I've come to love. Christmas was always Mystic Falls and for the first time in twenty-seven years I won't be there for it.

If my brother could make it all the way from Denver, how couldn't I?

 _Damon. That's how._

I would've made this train if it wasn't for him.

" _You know how important this is to me, Elena_ ," my mother says, her voice breaking.

My eyes study the tile floor I'm sitting on with its whites and greys and the array of people around me, all on their phones with their eyes staring helplessly at the screen hanging from the center of the room with the word DEPARTURES spaced out in white letters. Every single one says cancelled at yet we all hope.

"It's important to me, too," I say, trying to fight back tears.

She sighs and I can hear Christmas music playing from her radio filtering in through the line. " _If it really was you wouldn't have taken that extra shift at the hospital. You would've left sooner. You wouldn't have left so much to chance_."

I lay my legs flat in front of me, stretching out the soreness from hugging them against me so tight. "I needed the hours in the OR, Mom. I took off the whole week."

" _I know_ ," she says. And she's not just saying that, not in the offhand way people often do. My mother truly does understand. She married into this kind of life. If anyone knows more about late shifts at the hospital and the perils of balancing work and life, it's my mother. The only person who would know more is my father. Mystic Falls very own General Practitioner and the main reason why it was so important I made it home this year, of all years.

"How's Dad feeling?"

She's quiet for a moment, gathering her strength. My father was diagnosed with stage four cancer a couple of years ago and despite giving it the best fight of his life, it was slowly but surely killing him. It was why this year was so important; knowing it could very well be his last. " _He's sleeping. The morphine they gave him for the pain knocks him out for a few hours. It's all he'll take right now_."

"He really wants to stop fighting?"

"Can you blame him?" she says, solemn. "He can't handle another round of radiation. He's already so weak as it is. Dad just wants to go on his own terms and I have to let him."

"I know. I just wish…"

" _I know, sweetie. I wish we had more time, too_." The music in the background quiets and I hear her breathe back tears.

I let out a breath, run my hang through my hair. It's all I can do to break apart the turmoil I feel swirling inside of me. It's my own damn fault for putting myself in this situation. Not the snow or Damon or even New York City traffic. I've lived here long enough to know to give myself enough time for delays and yet I waited until the very last moment to leave. It's my fault.

"I'm spending the night at the station this way I can get the first train out of here. I'll call you as soon as something changes."

" _Okay, Elena. I love you. Be safe_."

"I love you, too. Kiss Dad for me."

She blows a kiss and the line goes dead. As I slide my phone back into my pocket, my eyes drift back up to the screen praying for a Christmas miracle because this station and I could really use it.

* * *

 _A few hours later…_

* * *

I'm jolted awake by someone kicking my feet. Quickly, I clutch at my bag which is triple wrapped around my wrist and secured through my belt as my eyes drift up to face the person responsible for waking me. His baseball cap is now twisted backwards and he's holding two cups of coffee and a paper bag, but I'd remember those blue eyes anywhere.

"Damon?"

He smiles, easing himself into the empty spot on the floor besides me. The crowd at Penn Station has thinned out quite a bit since I first arrived but is by no means empty and I slide my eyes up the screen seeing that it's nearly midnight. Nearly Christmas.

"I know you said to stay away from you, but it is Christmas and since we're both stranded…." He holds out the cup of coffee like an olive branch and I take it as such.

"Thank you," I tell him, honestly. I needed the caffeine. The last thing I wanted to do was fall asleep at Penn Station but exhaustion and stress got the better of me.

He shrugs, gripping the bottom of the paper bag and holding it out to me. "It's no Feast of the Seven Fishes but there's no way I'm testing out seafood here. Cannoli's will have to do."

I reach into the bag and pull one free, thanking him once again. As I take a bite and moan at just how good it tastes, I cock my brow at Damon. "Feast of the Seven Fishes?"

"You've never been?" he questions. I shake my head. "It's an Italian tradition. Imagine a huge table on Christmas Eve filled with everyone you love and covered with seven of the most amazing types of seafood you can imagine. It's paradiso."

A thick Italian accent comes out as he says the last word and I smile at him. "I never really cared for Seafood."

He shakes his head at me. "You haven't lived."

I shrug, knowing it's a personal preference. I just can't get past the smell. "If you say so."

Damon reaches in for a cannoli and before bringing it to his lips asks, "What does your family normally do for Christmas Eve?"

I watch him take a bite as I smile to myself, remembering all the previous years spent at our family kitchen table with Christmas music playing in the background. "Have you ever seen The Holiday?" He shakes his head. "It's this movie with Kate Winslet, Cameron Dias, Jack Black and Jude Law. Basically the two women switch houses for the holidays and both rediscover themselves in their new environments. Well, there's this scene with Jack and Kate where she makes him Christmas fettuccine to cheer him up and ever since my mom became obsessed with the movie it's been a tradition."

"I'll have to check out this movie."

Shaking my head at him, I say, "I used to love it but she's watched it so many times in one sitting that I just can't stand it anymore."

"So," he says, swallowing another bite. "What is your favorite Christmas movie?"

I lean my head back against the wall, smiling to myself. "It's A Wonderful Life."

His eyes light up as he looks at me. "Important question then: Do you prefer it as it was intended in black and white or remastered in color?"

"Black and white," I say with confidence. "No contest."

"Good answer."

I lightly hit my head against the wall. "Now I wish I could be watching it. That's a tradition I've been doing since before I could remember. Every night on Christmas Eve, I would cuddle up with a blanket and put it on just before I'd go to sleep. Haven't missed it a single year until now."

Damon reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone which is plugged into a serious looking portable charger. "Who says you have to miss it this year?"

He begins tapping away at his phone and before I know it he has it balancing against his duffle so we both can see. Then suddenly that familiar score starts playing and the title cards start whipping by as my favorite Christmas movie begins playing on his phone.

"How did you get this? It's not on Netflix. I know because I looked."

Damon smiles. "I have it saved on my phone. It's my favorite Christmas movie, too."

"Really?"

I start cracking up as Damon does his best Jimmy Stewart impression complete with "Mary!" and "Merry Christmas, you ole building and loan!" and even his own rendition of Buffalo Gal. He has me in absolute stitches by the time the movie actually starts and we hear the prayers of Bedford Falls coming from his iPhone, loud enough for us both to hear. Just as the clock strikes twelve young George Bailey is unaware the future love of his life is promising to love him till he dies in the ear he can't hear out of.

My eyes look over at Damon's and I see that he's smiling and looking at me too.

 _Hot dog!_

* * *

"There's really nothing more they can do for him?" Damon says, studying my face.

I shake my head, rubbing underneath my eyes with the sleeve of my sweater. It took all of two seconds after Mr. Bailey dying for the tears to start flowing and the real reason behind my attitude towards him earlier to come out. Damon paused the movie and listened as I vented out everything I had been feeling since I heard that awful news all those years ago.

"The chemo and radiation just take so much out of him. It was working in the beginning but now it hasn't made a smidge of difference. He's just ready to go out on his terms now."

Damon frowns. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Elena. Losing a parent is just about the most painful thing you're ever going to experience."

My head cocks at him and I study his face; so full of pain and vulnerability now. "Did you…?"

"My mom first. My dad passed not long after—just couldn't bear living without her."

"I'm so sorry, Damon." My hand reaches out and grips his arm, squeezing tight. I can barely breathe as his hands splays out and begins to play with my fingers before clasping my hand in his and holding firm.

His eyes are watching my face but I'm entrapped by our hands. Somehow his words break the spell and pull my eyes to his. "The pain was unbearable at the time—still is sometimes, but I had to be there for my brother. Stefan was just a kid."

"I don't know how you did it," I say, knowing when the time comes I'll have to step up and be there for my brother and my mom. I'm not sure I'm ready for the weight of it. "Is that where you're headed? To see your brother."

Damon nods, the very corner of his mouth lifting in a smile. "He's in this little town called Mystic Falls in Virginia. He's a bit of progeny—a show off, as I like to call him. Stefan graduated early and got a job as a general practitioner there. They had an emergency opening and my brother is all about that small town life."

"Wait a minute…" I say with my eyes wide. _What are the odds?_ "Your brother lives in Mystic Falls?"

He nods his head yes, confused. "Yeah, why? You've heard of it?"

Full of disbelief, I somehow manage to get the next two sentences out. "Damon, my father was the town doctor of my hometown of Mystic Falls. Stefan Salvatore took over for him."

"That's my brother! Is this for real?"

My heads shaking as I take the time to process all this. "What a small world."

"You're not kidding."

Just then the sound of a bell ringing echoes in the otherwise quieted Penn Station. The room is spotted with people resting their heads on luggage and lost in their phones with headphones in their ears and so they all miss out on the impact that one noise has on both Damon and I. Especially with the movie we were watching.

We both smile at each other and I start off the quote. "Every time a bell rings…"

"…an angel gets its wings," he finishes. With a shake of his head, he says, "I can't believe of all the people whose cabs I could've stolen I steal the probably one other person headed to Mystic Falls."

"And now it looks like neither of us will make it there for Christmas," I say as my eyes drift up towards the still cancelled Departures board. The weather ticker on the bottom says the storm is still going strong and it looks like we may be stranded here.

Damon gives an exasperated sigh. "Then I say we make the best of it. We're going to wait out this storm but that doesn't we have to be miserable about it."

He pockets his phone and stands up, holding his hand out for me to grab. I cautiously take it and let him help me up and both of us grab hold of our things. We've both long shed our coats and I hug my cardigan tight to my body as I let him lead me out of the room. Damon's in a black V-neck sweater and he brushes off some imaginary lint as he briskly maneuvers around the place with all the knowledge of a true New Yorker.

I can already figure out where he's headed long before the grandiose opening appears. A tall tree stands in the center of it aside a sweeping staircase and surrounded by fake gifts wrapped in green and red. Velvet ropes wrap around the tree with felt snow covering the tile. Multi-colored lights flicker in the muted lighting and a feeling of being homesick hits me so strong I play with the pearl dangling from the chain around my neck.

"What's that?" Damon asks, gesturing to my necklace.

My head tilts downward, my thumb brushing against the pearl. "My Dad gave it to me a few Christmases ago. I never take it off."

His hands move forward and he asks, "Do you mind?"

I shake my head, confused as he reaches for the chain and slides it around so that the clasp that had made its way towards the pearl is now safely secured behind my neck. His fingers run along the silver and rest the pearl gently at the base of my neck before pulling away.

"You have to make a wish," he says.

"Huh?"

A lopsided smile breaks out on his face. "It's something my mom used to do. Whenever your necklace twists, you make a wish as you fix it."

He gives a little shrug and I close my eyes, tilting my head up towards the ceiling of the entryway we're standing under. I can feel Damon's eyes on mine as I say my wish silently to myself, sending it out into the world and hoping like hell that it comes true.

 _I wish that we both make it home for Christmas._

It's the only small miracle I still have hope for. I've wasted too many birthday wishes and shooting stars on my father's health only to be left with disappointment. But this wish? This one has the possibility of coming true.

When I open my eyes, they're still facing the ceiling and I take note of the small branch hanging above us, a collection of familiar leaves wrapped in a red bow. With a smile, I point up towards the what we're standing under and laugh nervously. "Mistletoe."

"Oh," he says, shocked. Damon hesitates for a moment and I bite my lip, nervous about what he's going to say next. "It is a tradition."

I give him a nod and he steps closer towards me, his hands settling on my hips. He's nearly a head taller than me and I slightly inch up towards him as he brings his mouth down to mine. Our lips touch and I feel the spark from it all the way to my toes. My hands slide up his defined arms to circle around his neck and pull him closer to me and I feel him deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue against my own.

My mouth lifts into a smile and I feel Damon do the same, moving his hands that were resting on my hips to slide along my back, and underneath the hem of my shirt and cardigan to dance along my bare skin. The tingles I feel at his mere touch are enough to make my knees weak but I stand firm and lean closer to him so that I can feel his heart beating against my chest.

I'm not sure how much time passes before we slowly break apart, breathless and clinging to each other. Our foreheads touch as we both take a quick intake of breath, followed by a burst of laughter. My eyes flick up to his as I whisper into a sigh, "Wow."

He's about to speak when a voice comes over the loudspeaker, echoing throughout the entire vacant room.

" _Due to the storms passing, we expect traveling to resume within a few hours. Thank you for your patience and see guest services for more information._ "

We both break apart, smiling wide. Damon grabs tightly on to my hand as we race back towards the waiting area. The room we left was quiet and solemn but when we return it is full of renewed hope and a sense of Christmas magic has taken over the room.

"My wish came true," I say, looking up to find our train and seeing that it now merely says delayed instead of canceled.

Damon tilts his head at me. "So you didn't wish for that kiss?"

Blush colors my cheeks as I shake my head, smiling. "That was just a welcomed surprise."

He leans forward again and places a way-to-quick kiss on my lips before pulling back and smiling. "Agreed."

As I stare into the eyes of this man who started off as the asshole stealing my cab and yet somehow became the hot guy I kissed while stranded at Penn Station, I can't help but blurt out the words tumbling out of my mouth. "Do you and Stefan have plans for Christmas?"

Damon shrugs. "Just a quiet Christmas at his place."

"How would you both like to spend Christmas with me and my family?" With the way he's looking at me I begin to backtrack. Maybe I'm moving too quickly but with everything I felt after that kiss, all I know is I don't want everything to end when we get off that train. "If you don't feel like spending it with some stranger that's fine. I know we just met."

"Do you believe in fate?" he blurts out.

Momentarily stunned by his change in subject, I stutter out, "Th-the hopeless romantic in me does. Why?"

He looks out into the room before his eyes land back on my face. When they do, he smiles. "I never did. I always thought we were just on our own out here, but after tonight…"

"I know what you mean," I reply, bringing my hands to his chest and resting them there.

There have been too many coincidences tonight for me not to believe that fate and chance played a part in Damon coming into my life today. I'm not sure how I would've made it through the night without him. It may have started off to a rough start but if these past few years have taught me anything it's that life is too short to let the good things pass you by. And with what I'm feeling, Damon is a good thing. A very good thing.

"I'd have to run it by Stefan but I'd love to spend Christmas with you."

I hug him before pulling back a quirking a brow. "So what should we do while we wait for the trains to be up and running?"

With a wide smile, he pulls out a phone and shakes it in front of me. "I believe we have a movie to finish."

* * *

I stare out over the top off my mug of hot chocolate looking out at the scene before me. My father is seated in his favorite recliner with an afghan my mother knitted him draped over his body and wearing a sweater I got him last Christmas. He's talking animatedly with Stefan and Damon and my brother about everything from sports to everything he's missed at the practice. They all hit it off instantly that I was able to help my mother with cooking and not worry about how they would react to the strangers I invited into their home.

On the train ride home Damon and I filled our family in on everything and surprisingly everyone seemed okay with it. Damon and I spent the better part of the ride home getting to know more about each other and by the end it was like we had known each other for years, rather than just a few hours. My mother welcomed the two newcomers as if they had been here every year and after a few brief moments of awkwardness, everything continued on with ease.

Now with dessert and coffee being passed around, we're all relaxed and let casual conversation flow. I just couldn't get over how easily the Salvatore's fit in with my family. I was so lost in observing them, that I didn't feel my mother come up beside me and kiss the top of my head until I heard her soft voice in my ear. "You look happy."

"I am, Mom. I think Dad is, too," I reply. "Instead of this Christmas being sad and full of memories, it's just like any other year. Like one where he isn't sick."

She gives me a knowing smile. "I think he's just happy that you seem happy. Damon is a nice man, Elena."

I give a little laugh. "You wouldn't have said that if you knew how we met."

"It's not about the start, honey. Your father tortured me mercilessly when we were little kids. What matters is this journey and how good you are to each other. I think even with however you two started, you seem to have found some common ground to build a foundation on."

"Relax, Mom." I blush. "We did only meet yesterday. Who knows what will happen."

She shakes her head, patting my shoulder. "With the way he's looking at you right now, I think Damon and Stefan will be here for the holidays for years to come."

With a squeeze to my shoulder she bustles back towards the kitchen just as my eyes meet Damon's. He's looking towards me while my father and his brother seems deep in conversation and when I catch his gaze he stands up and walks over towards me. He inhales the sweet smell of my hot chocolate and settles up next to me, joining in on my voyeurism.

"I think this day turned out pretty good considering," he says with a smile.

"Considering I thought you were an entitled asshole when we met?"

He barks out a laugh. "You wouldn't be the first person with that observation."

"Why does that not surprise me?" I quip.

His arm wraps around me and I settle into his embrace, enjoying the sight of my father's smile and the feeling of Damon's presence beside me. Despite everything we both made it home for Christmas. "So, I have an important question."

"Ask away."

Damon holds my gaze, eyes bright and smile wide. There's a sense of adventure in his expression as he speaks. "What are you doing for New Years?"

 _Oh, I have a few ideas…._


End file.
